Occasionally in multi-engine aircraft operation, an event such as a turbofan blade-off event forces shutdown of the engine for the remainder of the flight. The so-called “dead” engine is otherwise largely uncontrollable and represents a drag on the aircraft powered by its remaining engines. In some instances, the engine also presents vibration issues as a result of the windmilling engine, which is dependent on the amount of friction present and the extent of blade damage, among other factors.
There remains a need for improved emergency systems for managing dead windmilling engines during flight and associated methods of operating such an aircraft engine after an emergency shutdown during aircraft flight.